|
![Show Contents]() Loftess History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient roots of the Loftess family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Loftess comes from when the family lived in the village of Lofthouse during the reign of King Alfred in 900 AD. This place-name was originally derived from the Old Norse words lopt meaning loft and hus meaning house. Therefore the original bearers of the Loftess surname were dwellers of the loft house. 1 Early Origins of the Loftess familyThe surname Loftess was first found in North Yorkshire at Lofthouse, a small village in Nidderdale in the Harrogate district or at Lofthouse, a village in West Yorkshire. "This place, in the Domesday Survey Lochtushum, was granted by the Conqueror to Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, who soon afterwards transferred it to the Percy family, of whom William de Percy, the third Baron, in 1133 founded at Handall, in the parish, a priory for Benedictine nuns, which he dedicated to the Virgin Mary." 2 Early History of the Loftess familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Loftess research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1573, 1605, 1619, 1620, 1639, 1647, 1691, 1695 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Loftess History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Loftess Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Loftess has appeared include Loftus, Lofthouse, Loftis, Loftiss, Loftos and others. Early Notables of the Loftess familyAnother 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Loftess Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Loftess family to Ireland
Some of the Loftess family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Loftess familyAt this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Loftess arrived in North America very early: John Loftis settled in Barbados in 1634; John Lofthouse arrived in Philadelphia in 1878; John Loftus arrived in Philadelphia in 1682; Biddy and Elen Loftus arrived in Quebec in 1848.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
|
England
Ireland
